THE MAINTENANCE OF KUALUH MALAY LANGUAGE OF LABUHANBATU UTARA STUDENTS IN MEDAN

Language maintenance is an effort to keep the language alive by using it continually. This study deals with language maintenance in Medan by students from Labuhanbatu Utara. The aims of the study are (1) to discover the factors affecting the Kualuh Malay language among students from Labuhanbatu Utara in Medan. (2) to analyze how students maintain the Kualuh Malay language. (3) to evaluate the reasons why they maintain their language. The method of this study was descriptive-qualitative research. This research found the following result: (1) There are seven factors affecting Kualuh Malay by students from Labura in Medan, such as visiting homeland, ethnolinguistic vitality, living together in one area, language in family, practicing traditional ceremonies, use of the language in the neighborhood domain, and use of the language in religion. (2) To maintain Kualuh Malay language, students from Labura conducted strategies like family language policy, using Kualuh Malay language in their daily lives frequently, using Kualuh Malay language in religious congregations, and using Kualuh Malay language in cultural activity. (3) The reason why students from Labura maintain the Kualuh Malay language is that they are proud to be Kualuh Malay people, and speaking the Kualuh Malay language shows their identity as Labura people. It can be concluded that the implication of this research is to encourage Labuhanbatu Utara people to continue to use the Kualuh Malay language in their daily lives, promote the use of the Kualuh Malay language in the mass media, and provide opportunities for Kualuh Malay ethnic students to learn their local language in the educational realm.